Biden Says What He's Told

Biden has announced the federal government will pay to have the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore rebuilt. Believe me, the harbor pilot, and the ship's company, both carry a lot of insurance. Lawyers may have to get involved to settle the cost but the rebuilding will not cost the feds. Biden jumped in to sound important because he was told to do so to garner a few votes.

 

I'm surprised his handlers let him speak because he usually screws up what he's told to say unless he has note cards.

 

So you believe insurers should battle this out in court to determine who pays? Who do you think should pay for the immediate rebuilding what this protracted legal battle proceeds?

 

Come on, I know you’re smarter than that. The insurers will payback the people who cleans up this mess.

 

LOL! "While the Dali is managed by Synergy Marine Group, it is owned by Grace Ocean Pte Ltd, also Singapore-based." It was chartered by Maersk.

https://en.as.com/latest_news/who-a...-responsible-for-baltimore-bridge-collapse-n/

You and I both know that none of these companies will jump up and down to pay this billion dollar bill, and will try to shift blame around, in court.

In the meantime, government fronting the funds can make sure that the rebuilding starts asap, so disruption to the supply chain is minimized. They can later recoup the money from those responsible.

 

It's adorable that rightists still believe Biden to not be able to speak for himself and needs help. Believing this even after he destroyed the GOP in his SOTU address. LOL

 

Don't you know, he was "amped up" during the SOTU. Now, he is back to his normal, demented self. Fox News always finds a way to come up with a good explanation for things that don't fit the "demented Joe" narrative. They even keep claiming Biden doesn't come out of his basement up to today, when you see Biden out and about on TV almost every day.

 

I am thinking , if Biden sell some Bible, he can build the bridge.

Oh .. that’s the other guy who is selling Bible to pay off his legal bill.

 

The steel from the bridge is completely blocking the entrance to the port as is the tanker. It will take time to reopen not to mention the years ahead to build a new bridge. I heard around 140,000 jobs will be impacted and that’s big. I suspect more. We are the largest port in the United States for farming equipment, foreign cars, gypsum and fertilizer Domino Sugar is a major import/export player as is Amazon who has a distribution center literally around the corner. The key bridge was part of interstate 695 so there’s that headache because the alternatives are two tunnels where hazardous materials are prohibited.

I’m all for the feds fronting the money to get this thing rolling. We don’t need another hit to our economy.

 

I agree 100%. Anyone who wants to buy a new car in the coming year should pray that this blockage of the port is resolved as quickly as possible. Plus, it will be best to keep the politics out of it, but there isn't a good chance of that.

 

Please reread OP -- "Lawyers may . . ."
When you take out a loan from the bank to purchase a car I bet you don't say, "The bank is paying for the car".

I believe what I see when Biden is trying to speak off script. And that is sad. He only hurt himself when he gave his amped-up SOTU and certainly didn't destroy the GOP. Such an angry speech. Look at the polls after the speech. And that is sad.

 

Well, you know, he's so concerned because as he said, he used to "travel across the bridge on the train"..... I'm sure he has a soft spot for those nostalgic trips in his fantasy world....

 

Who holds the insurance paper? Since you didn't mention them... That's why folks buy insurance. Are you suggesting that if you had insurance, you'd jump in to pay instead of the insurer?

Given what we know about how federal construction bids work, I suppose the bridge won't even get started being rebuilt until all of the environmentalists studies show the horrible impact of the bridge and it will be tied up in litigation for decades before the bridge is rebuilt....

 

Did you see the part about Biden having enjoyed his many trips across the bridge on the train??? LMAO... Biden destroyed a lot of things at the state of the union, most of all, his credibility.

 

Do you think that their insurance, for whoever of the three companies involved this applies, will have enough funds to cover this? I think there is a high chance that who pays for this will go to courts and will not be decided quickly. Let's wait and see.

 

I actually do. I say “the bank owns it” — I lease most of our vehicles though so it’s even more true.

Polls after the speech? Have you looked at them lately? Have you looked at the Republicans leaving the House and dropping your party’s control to one vote?

Biden has a right to be angry. We all do

 

I guess it always depends on the liquidity of those insurers. I'm assuming that Maersk is likely self insured, But, I also assume that insurers will have liability limits. Given the financial costs of cleaning up after a ship wreck, they are likely high? The important part is that the insurers will have to be involved in the cost of the rebuild, to whatever extent that they have provided the riders that insured the ship and its operations.

The more difficult question is can the federal government be a recipient of a payout from a private insurer? And will there be an application of what "is covered" al la health insurance kind of restrictions on what the rebuilder, if that's the federal government will be allowed. Things like cost of replacement likely wouldn't cover things like a "grand new statement bridge" for example.

I suggest there are many competing narratives here. Obviously, given that this happened to a democrat run city in a democrat run state, Joe et al at the feds rushed immediately to "help". Crazy optics given Biden's behavior elsewhere, like the train wreck in OH, for example.

I wonder if all that non spent federal infrastructure money is still lying around somewhere...

 

The Feds are rushing to immediately help not because Baltimore is a Dem city, but because the port of Baltimore is essential for the entire economy, resulting in supply chain disruptions if closed for too long. Since the Baltimore port shipped more cars and light trucks last year than any other US port, I think anyone who wants to buy a new car in the next few months should have an interest to get the port opened up as soon as possible. Should we wait until the legal battle over who pays is played out? You tell me.

 

You don't think they could change which port accepts those imported cars and parts?

 

Yes, its a good idea to pay first, sue later.

Im sure the captain will say the bridge jumped out in front of them!

 

Ships parked outside the Port of Baltimore will divert to other ports right away. The port of Newark/New York will begin accepting the overflow almost immediately. The ships stuck in the port of Baltimore are SOL. I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the Corp of Engineers and the Coast Guard descend on the site almost immediately and get a channel open so the ships inside can exit , on an emergency basis. The Dali might be towed to a pier, but don't expect it to go anywhere for years. Between examinations for the cause of the accident, evidence gathering and lawsuits over liability, that ship might not sail for a decade.

 

He's pledged to cover the costs and make sure it's repaired in a timely manner and correctly. He's also said that the feds, state(s), etc. will also go after the private corps/insurers in the interim but basically they will not wait for the corps to go through insurance and the court system first to start the repairs. At least, that's my understanding.

It's my understanding also that the harbor master may have been piloting the vessel out to the ocean per regulations so that may also complicate and delay the process so the feds are just going to go ahead and start working on the problem.

 

Of course, they will divert to other ports.

https://www.reuters.com/business/au...e-shipments-after-bridge-collapse-2024-03-26/

However, these other ports don't have the infrastructure for the additional volume, so it is likely there will be some supply chain consequences.

Only trump supporters have to make an issue out of this. They just cannot help themselves politicizing EVERYTHING. Also, if Biden WOULDN'T offer federal help, they would attack Biden when car prices get more expensive because of this issue. He'll be attacked by RW media, no matter what he does.

 

So, shipping means export. Likely not a ding to US car/truck sales. But foreign markets, perhaps. I'd suggest that there are LOTS of other east coast shipping ports, any one of which should be able to be tasked with the temporary load from having Baltimore be down for a the time it takes to clear the channel. The construction will have to take into account the traffic in the port. The port won't be shut down until the bridge is completed. And yes, the ONLY reason Biden et al even showed up is because Maryland isn't as deep blue as it once was, and unlike East Palestine, there are votes up for grabs there. I saw the coverage of Buttyjuice sobering all over the presser. It's sad that he's so jovial about the loss of life, and all. At least the Democrat Governor was at least basically decent and serious while in the camera eye.

The good news is that there are lots of options.

 

Hey , @Quantum Nerd , what were you saying about trump supporters having to make an issue out of this ?

Along comes @drluggit and hey-presto, QED !

LMAO